Innocent
by Magical Narwhal
Summary: What would have happened if Sirius Black had been tried in front of the Wizengamot and been found innocent for any crimes against the Potters? What would have happened if he had raised Harry as his duty as godfather asked and Harry had never been sent to the Dursleys? See how Harry's years at Hogwarts may have changed from a single Wizengamot verdict. Rated T for possible violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Harry turned over under the covers of his bed in 12 Grimmauld Place, barely noticing a gentle rocking movement. He opened his eyes to the voice of his godfather softly speaking his name. "Come on, Harry. It's time to get up. You know what today is, right?" Harry sat up and grinned at his godfather. "Is is really September 1st already, Padfoot?" Sirius nodded. "You got all of your stuff packed last night?" Harry nodded. "Good, now get dressed and come meet me downstairs in the kitchen for breakfast. You don't want to be late now, do you?"

Harry laughed and hugged his godfather. "No, of course not." Sirius smiled at his godson and walked out of the room, closing the door to Harry's room behind him. Harry jumped out of bed and ran to his wardrobe, pulling out a blue polo shirt, a pair of black trousers, a pair of black socks, and a pair of black leather shoes, the only clothing that remained in the wardrobe since he had packed everything else in his trunk the night before. He changed, hopping around the room as he shoved his socks and shoes on his feet, before he ran down the stairs and burst through the door of the dining room.

Sirius was already sitting at the table reading The Daily Prophet. Kreacher was standing in the corner awaiting further instructions from his masters. Harry took a seat across from Sirius. "Kreacher, would you please serve breakfast?"

Kreacher snapped his fingers and platters of bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, and mixed fruit appeared on the dining room table, as well as the place settings for both people seated at the table. A glass of milk appeared beside Harry's plate and a glass of orange juice appeared beside Sirius' plate. "Can Kreacher be of any other assistance to Master Black or Master Potter?"

"No, Kreacher, I think that's all for now. Thank you." Kreacher disappeared with a _Pop!_ that startled Sirius from his newspaper.

Harry and his godfather began piling food onto their plates. "So, Harry, are you ready to go to Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically, chewing on a piece of bacon. "Of course! I can't believe you'd ever ask that!"

Sirius chuckled. "I just thought I'd make sure. I could always keep you here for another year so I could continue teasing you."

"Uncle Sirius, you wouldn't!"

Sirius winked at his godson. "Oh? And what's stopping me from doing just that?"

"Moony wouldn't let you!"

"Remus already left, though. He's one of your professors this year. He left yesterday so he could arrive at Hogwarts before you and the rest of your classmates. I wouldn't be surprised if he were quivering in fear right now at the thought. I certainly would if I knew that I had to try to teach Harry James Potter Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You don't know that. Moony loves being around me! I'll be his best student. You're just jealous because I get to spend more time with him than you do, Padfoot."

Sirius rolled his eyes and put his hands up. "Okay, you caught me. I'm jealous. You get to spend more time with Moony this year than I do, and I'm jealous."

Harry grinned. "It's okay. You still get to see both of us over the holidays, and you get to take me to the station. I bet he's sad that he has to miss that."

Sirius chuckled. "I'm sure he is, Pronglet. Hurry up and eat or else we'll be late. You don't want to miss the train, do you?"

Harry looked down at his watch. "I won't miss the train. I don't have to be there until eleven and it's only nine right now. We've got plenty of time."

Sirius shook his head. "We have to finish eating, and then we have to travel there, and I want to be early."

"Why do we always have to be early, Padfoot? For once I don't want to be early, just to see what it's like."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Just hurry up and eat, kiddo. I've got something I want to show you before we leave." Harry started shoveling food in his mouth. "Mind you, I might not give it to you if you continue to eat like a pig. Where are your manners?"

Harry swallowed and smiled apologetically at his godfather. "I'm sorry. So, what is it you want to show me?"

Sirius shook his head. "Later, just eat right now." Harry nodded as he and Sirius dug into their food once more. After their plates were clear, Sirius cleared his throat. "Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared by his Masters' table with a _Pop!_ "Yes, Master Black? What can I do for the Master?"

"Thank you for breakfast. It was a fitting send off for Harry. I'd like you to collect his trunk and set it by the door and then clean up breakfast. We'll be in the sitting room."

"Yes, Master Black." Kreacher bowed and disappeared with a _Pop!_

"Come on, Harry. Let's go to the sitting room." Harry obediently stood up and followed Sirius out of the dining room. Sirius walked into a room lit by a warm fireplace and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The light bounced around the room, illuminating the green walls and black leather furniture. Sirius sat down on a couch facing the fireplace and patted the seat on the couch next to him. Harry sat down beside his godfather and looked up at him expectantly.

Sirius pulled a small jewelry case out of the left pocket in his robes and opened it to reveal a gold ring with a small ruby encrusted in it that had the image of a family crest with a lion and an eagle showing beneath the stone. Harry looked quizzically at his godfather. "You aren't proposing to me, are you, Padfoot? I'm only eleven and you were in the same year as my father. Isn't that a bit strange?"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm not proposing to you, Pronglet." He held out his right hand so Harry could see it. "Do you know why I wear this ring on my right hand even though I'm not married?"

Harry nodded his head. "You wear it because it signifies that you're the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, don't you?"

Sirius nodded. "That's right. You know that you are a blood member of the Ancient House of Potter, correct?" Harry nodded again. "Well, the Heads of Houses are not the only members of Houses that wear rings, Harry. The Heirs wear them as well. Your father and I talked long ago about what he wanted for you if he and your mother were unable to take care of you. He wanted me, and Remus if he was available, to raise you as closely as possible to the way that he would have raised you himself. Your father and I spoke about the Heir Ring for the Ancient House of Potter once. He wanted you to have it once you came of age."

"I'm only eleven, though, Uncle Sirius. I don't come of age until I'm seventeen. Why are you showing me the Heir Ring now?"

Sirius smiled fondly at his godson. "Seeing as you are the last member of the Ancient House of Potter, you will automatically become the Head of your House once you come of age. I don't believe your father ever considered that when he told me he wanted you to have the Heir Ring once you came of age. You would automatically receive the Head Ring at that point, and Heads of Houses do not wear Heir Rings at the same time. They cannot be the Heir in case they die because they will no longer be able to receive anything. It occurred to me that you would never get the chance to wear the Heir Ring, so I am giving it to you now. This is also an important occasion, as you are going off to Hogwarts for the first time. It's almost as momentous as your coming of age."

Harry leaned over to his godfather and embraced him in a hug, which Sirius fondly returned. "Thank you, Uncle Sirius. I'm sure this is much more important than I could possibly believe right now, but I hope I can understand it later."

Sirius smiled warmly down at his godson and pulled the ring out of the box, taking Harry's right hand firmly. Harry pulled away from his godfather to watch him as he slid the Heir Ring of the Ancient House of Potter on his godson's right ring finger. Harry looked down at the ring, and Sirius noticed a look of worry on his godson's face. "Is something wrong, Pronglet?"

Harry frowned. "I'm afraid that I might lose it."

Sirius chuckled and shook his head as he handed Harry the box the ring had been in previously. "Don't worry about that. If you lose the Heir Ring, it will appear again in this box. If it is stolen, whoever stole it will remain in possession of it, though. If they lose it, it will appear in this box. However, if this box is stolen and anyone loses the Heir Ring, whoever stole the box will be in possession of it. Don't worry about losing or damaging the Heir Ring, Harry. It can't be damaged by anything that you should be doing as a first year. If you insist on worrying about anything, I would worry about losing the box, which shouldn't be a problem if you store it properly in your trunk."

"In the secret compartment that can only be opened by me, Remus, or you?"

Sirius nodded. "That would be a very safe place for it indeed."

Harry and his godfather stood and hugged again before they left for King's Cross Station so that Harry could make his first trip to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

*Author's Note*

This is my first fanfiction, and I am writing it as I post so bear with me as I try to understand how the site works. I hope to update weekly, most likely every Friday (in my time, as I'm aware that time zones cause a LOT of confusion). If real life steps in the way, I'll either post necessary chapters earlier (hopefully) or later if necessary to catch up to where I should be. Unless there is a huge emergency in my real life, I will let you know if something happens and I won't be able to post for a while. One of my greatest pet peeves is when authors abandon their stories without any explanation to the readers. So, favorite, follow, and review, please? Feel free to offer suggestions as to where you think the story should go. I'll try my best to answer everyone :)

~Magical Narwhal


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry waved out the train window at his godfather until the station was out of sight before turning around to the compartment filled with redheads, as well as a larger brunette. Sirius had steered him over to the family of gingers as soon as they stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ and had insisted that he stay with them on the train ride. He'd met Neville Longbottom before as he'd visited Grimmauld Place with his grandmother on multiple occasions, and the brunette had joined them in their train compartment.

Neville was busy fussing with his toad, Trevor, so Harry looked at the three redheads sitting with him. He hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak with them before the speakers announced that all of the students needed to beard the train unless they wanted to get left behind. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your names. Would you mind telling them to me?"

The twin on the left stood up and shook Harry's hand. "Fred, Fred Weasley."

The other twin did the same. "George."

Harry turned to the last redhead, who was messing with a rat. "And your name is?"

Fred spoke up. "He's Ron. A bit shy, that one is."

"Oi, I'm not shy! This stupid rat won't wake up. All he does is sleep and eat. I'm Ron, by the way. Nice to meet you. The two of you are?"

"This is Neville Longbottom, and I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?!"

"Is it true?"

"Do you really have a lightning bolt scar?"

"Have you really survived the Avada Kedavra spell from You-Know-Who?"

Harry stared at the three gingers in shock as Ron tried to wake up his rat again, leaving Harry to answer the twins. "I'm sorry, but how do you know about my scar, and who is You-Know-Who?"

"Blimey, you've never heard of You-Know-Who, Harry?"

"The entire wizarding world knows about your defeat of You-Know-Who. How couldn't you know?"

"Just wait a minute, are you trying to say that I'm famous or something?"

"Yes, Harry."

"If you have the scar, don't you know how it got there in the first place?"

Ron managed to wake his rat up with a cracker crumb, and Harry nodded. "I got it when the man who killed my parents tried to kill me. It didn't work, though, and that's how I got the scar."

"So it's true?"

"You have the scar?"

"Bloody hell, Harry, show it to us."

Harry lifted the front of his hair to reveal the scar on his forehead of a lightning bolt. Neville ran from the compartment shouting. "No, Trevor! Get back here!"

Fred and George shared a glance and a grin before they ran after Neville. Ron watched as the boys ran from the train compartment. "Should we help him?"

Harry shook his head and let his hair fall back in place. "No, he'll be fine. It happens all the time."

"So it's true? You really defeated You-Know-Who?"

"I'm sorry, but who is You-Know-Who?"

Ron looked around before he leaned in closer to Harry, whispering. "You've never heard of Voldemort?"

Harry laughed. "Of course I have. Is that who you keep calling You-Know-Who?" Ron nodded. "There's no reason to be scared of his name. He isn't around anymore."

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "People just don't say his name out loud. It's frightening."

Harry nodded as a girl with bushy brown hair walked frantically into the compartment. "Have you seen a toad? It seems a boy has lost his. The toad's name is Trevor."

The boys laughed while Harry explained. "Don't worry about it. Neville loses his toad all the time. He'll find it eventually."

"Some friends you are if you're not helping him find it. You are friends with him, aren't you?" Harry nodded, and Ron shrugged. "Well, if you're not willing to help locate it, then I will."

Ron rolled his eyes as she left. "I feel bad for her housemates. I can't imagine anyone would ever want to be around her. So, what house do you want to be in?"

"Gryffindor. That's where my mum and dad were sorted, and my dad's best friends were sorted there, too."

"That's where everyone in my family has been sorted already."

The door to the compartment opened again and three boys walked in. One of them was skinny with pale skin and blonde hair. The other two were bulky and stood behind him. The two groups looked at each other. "Well, is it true?" said the blonde boy. "I heard rumors that Harry Potter was here."

Harry held out his hand. "I'm Harry Potter."

The blonde boy gripped Harry's hand. "I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." He looked over at Ron. "You must be a Weasley." Ron nodded.

"Malfoy? Is your father Lucius Malfoy?"

Draco nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is Crabbe and Goyle. I hope to see you in Slytherin after the sorting. I suppose you'll be in Gryffindor, Weasley?"

Ron nodded again. "It's the best house. Harry's going to end up there, too."

Draco smirked. "We'll see about that." Fred and George ran back into the compartment, grinning. "Slytherin's the best house, Harry. If I were you, I wouldn't believe a word this poor Weasley says."

"Oi, Malfoy, get out of here."

Malfoy turned around to Crabbe and Goyle. "Right, we have mudbloods to annoy. Crabbe, Goyle, let's go."

Fred and George looked up at Ron and Harry while Fred took Trevor out of his pocket. "Gryffindor, that's where you want to be sorted, Harry."

"The lions are the best, no matter what anyone else says.

"We're the fun house."

"Ravenclaws just stick their heads in books all day,"

"Hufflepuffs talk about emotions too much,"

"And nobody wants to be sorted in Slytherin unless they're a dark wizard."

"Gryffindors are brave and noble,"

"And we don't bury our heads in books,"

"And we don't talk about our emotions."

"And we definitely don't want to be dark wizards."

George grabbed Trevor from his twin while Fred pulled out his wand. "_Wingardium leviosa._" Trevor started flying around the room while Fred idly moved his wand around.

"We just like to have fun."

Harry stared at the flying toad as the Hogwarts Express continued through fields. He was going to enjoy this school year.

* * *

*Author's Note*

A recent opportunity came up in my real life, and I've decided to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, it could very easily occupy my time on Friday evenings, so I'm changing my posting day to Saturdays from now on.

Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter. I was keeping the advice you all gave me in mind as I wrote this chapter. I'm glad to see the positive responses this story has gotten so far since I was nervous when I posted my last chapter. I'm open to suggestions for where you all want this story to go. I don't promise to follow any of them, but I like to see what other people are able to come up with. So, favorite, follow, and review?

Also, I'm looking for a beta if anyone's interested. PM me if you'd like to take up that position.

~Magical Narwhal


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone. I know you're probably upset with me because I haven't posted a new chapter in months, and this isn't a chapter. It is, however, a call for help in writing the next chapter. I've posted a poll on my profile asking your opinion on the house Harry should be sorted into in this story. You see, the problem I've had in updating is that every time I've almost finished writing the chapter, I wonder if I'm making the right choice in the house I'm sorting Harry into, wondering how my choice will affect him later, and then I change my mind. It's a problem, and I'd really like to update to make all of you happy. I'll delete this when I close the poll, and a new chapter should come shortly after. I can't promise that the house you all choose will be the house Harry is placed into, but it will influence my decision.

~Magical Narwhal


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